


Deliberate

by Dipuc (TomAyto10)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Short & Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28659984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomAyto10/pseuds/Dipuc
Summary: Takeda has a companion on his early Sunday walks.
Relationships: Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	Deliberate

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Takeda.   
> I love you!

Takeda was more than surprised when Coach Ukai Keishin plopped down next to him on the bench. 

It was seven in the morning, the sun shining brightly and bursting through the soon blossoming trees of the park he was sitting in. The air was clean and fresh, and Takeda felt alive in the crisp early morning. 

He hadn’t expected company.

“Ukai-kun?”

Sharp eyes blinked at him, and he settled on the bench, “Sensei.” He said gruffly, “How you doing?”

Takeda titled his head and stuttered out a response, “Uh… Good. Very Good.” He said and closed the book he was reading, saving his spot with his thumb. “And you, Ukai-kun? Are you running errands so early?”

Ukai looked away, shoving his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, “Yeah, sort of. I just saw you readin’ and wanted to say hi. You always up so early to read?“

“Ah. yes.” Takeda glanced down at the book, “It’s a habit really. I’d rather be out here than in my house. Fresh air does the body good!” 

Ukai half grinned at him, “That sounds like something you would-” his remark was cut off by a wide yawn, and he turned his head away from him in a way that Takeda would almost describe as shy. But shy wasn’t a word to describe the coach. “-say. Sorry.” he said quickly, and his face was tinged pink, either from the exertion of his yawn, or the slightly chilly air, “I’m not much of an early riser.”

“Oh really? But you’re always there for morning practices. You’ve never complained. You seem so sharp in the mornings.” Takeda turned slightly to face him, slipping his book onto the seat, effectively losing his place. “You must be tired then.”

Ukai raised an eyebrow, “Um. well, That involves volleyball. My head kinda goes somewhere else when I’m playing or watching a game. Besides…” his mouth widened in a charming smile, “If I didn’t teach those brats, who knows what would happen to the team.”

Takeda laughed, nodding his head and leaning back, and fixing his glasses, “I should thank you again for-”

“Ah Sensei, you’ve thanked me enough already. Geez.” Ukai cut him off, and Takeda blushed. he didn’t think that was necessarily true. Every time he saw the team playing with all their hearts out on that court, he was inspired to the core. He wanted so much for these kids to succeed in everything they strove for, and Ukai was doing a great job of leading them there. Simple thanks you were really not enough.

“If anyone should be thankin’ anybody, it should be me.” Ukai muttered, looking out over the park, how the sun slowly turned away shadows, “You know, thanking you for not giving up after the first no. or the first ten nos either.”

Takeda chucked, sheepish, “Ah well, It really is the least I could do. It's my only talent and I might as well make use of it.”

Ukai turned to him suddenly, his eyes deep in the morning light, and how they focused on him as they swept down his face made something in his chest tight and warm, “I could learn a thing or two from you.” he finally said, quiet and soft. 

Takeda tried to inhale, willing his lungs to take the air, and he had to look away, down at his hands. The moment had seemed too intimate in that second and Takeda didn’t want to misinterpret, Or worse, make Ukai feel uncomfortable. The warmth was spreading through him, and it seemed to be collecting behind his ears, and over his cheeks. he could feel Ukai’s eyes on him, and he forced out some words to distract himself.

“Ha. It not fair that you would steal my only claim of talent, Ukai-kun.” he tried to tease 

Ukai sighed, and then stood up from the bench. Takeda looked up at him, and for some odd reason, meeting his eyes was so hard to do. 

“That’s not true.” he said, his voice almost annoyed, “Anyways, I’ll let you get back to your reading. Sorry to bother you.”

Takeda stood up quickly, the book sliding from the bench and dropping to the floor with a thud. Takeda glanced at it for a moment, embarrassed but then focused on the coach, “It's not a bother! Really! I enjoyed this talk!”

Ukai stared at him, and then shook his head and bent down to pick up the fallen book. 

“Oh! It's okay- I’ll get-” Takeda exclaimed, but Ukai was already dusting off the dirt and placing it into Takeda’s motioning hands, “It’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow then, Sensei. Take care of yourself.”

Takeda nodded his head, “Yes. Of course.” Ukai’s hand lingered for a moment as Takeda grabbed onto the edge and spine more firmly, and he felt impossibly warm. “I will. You take care of yourself also, Ukai-kun. Get some rest.”

Ukai turned, and his shoulder hunched as he dug his hands deep into his pocket again. Takeda watched him go for a minute before realizing that he was staring. He sat down again, face warm again, and mind a buzz. His fingers felt fuzzy from where he had barely touched the coach, and the teacher frowned at his hand. he opened his book again, and though he tried, he couldn’t read another sentence.

If Ukai’s first visit surprised him, his second was one even more so.

Takeda was reading through a couple of footnotes, frowning hard at how cutthroat this particular commentator was in interpreting this particular poem when someone cleared his throat startled him back into the world.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Ukai was sitting there, hair pulled back in the same manner as always and Takeda had not noticed his presence at all.

“Ukai-kun! I- hello! I mean, good morning!.” Takeda closed the book and turned to face him better, “I didn’t expect to see you again. In the morning. ” Ukai looked away at that. “uh, running more errands?”

“Yep.” he said, “I see you’re reading again.”

Takeda smiled, “Yes, a new book I picked up. I’m thinking of introducing it to my students, but I’m not sure.”

“It’s alright. Go ahead, and keep reading. I’m going to go soon anyway.”

Takeda waved away his suggestion, “No. I can read whenever, Ukai-kun. I would rather much talk.” he smiled, but he thought about it, “unless you don’t want to! Then I completely understand-”

Ukai only rolled his eyes, grin forming, “No, I don’t mind, Sensei. It’s you that has to put up with me, isn’t it.”

Takeda laughed, “You are not so bad for a junior. “

Ukai snorted, “Hey now, I might take back my compliments.”

“Then they weren’t true compliments if you can take them back so simply.” Takeda teased and softly patted Ukai on the arm.

Ukai huffed out a breath, “Alright, I won’t take them back. What’s true is true, I guess.”

He looked down at the book on the bench,”I wasn’t any good in lit class. Couldn’t get into it, really.”

Takeda raised an eyebrow, “It’s not for everyone, I agree there, but I think all youth should be able to read stories from the past and learn from them. We have the gift of written expression and we shouldn’t squander it. Words can still inspire ever hundreds of years after they are written.” Takeda reached down and touched the edge of the spine of the book with his fingers, “That’s what I love. To be inspired.”

He glanced up at Ukai and was surprised to see him staring at, intently. ‘Im sorry! Did that turn you off! It was too poetic, wasn’t it!”

Ukai laughed, and shook his head, “No, Sensei. You're good. That was cool. Do you just think of this stuff?”

Takeda blushed hard. His words always tumbled out like that. What sounds so well in his head always made him feel like a fool later. “I- I suppose. It comes with being a teacher.” 

“I feel like I would’ve appreciated the subject more if you were my teacher.” Ukai said, sounding wistful, “At least I would’ve paid attention.”

That was a very nice compliment, though he didn't know how to take it. “Thank- thank you?”

Ukai shifted and moved to get up, “Well, I’ll let you get back to it.”

Takeda once again stared at him as he left.

All week he fought with the building anticipation of Sunday morning. He knew he was looking too deeply into it, and he should stop but although his head understood that perfectly, his heart only fed the ideas more. 

He found himself staring more often during practice, watching Ukai’s hands when he played with a stray volleyball, how his eyes would darken with intensity when he watched a game. He became fascinated with how his shoulder would stiffen when their players missed a serve and how he would cross his arms right before a point was gained. He knew this team so well now, could predict them, and move them and it made Takeda burn with something deep and suffocating. It was too much staring from one man to another, and it was becoming clear that this what he was feeling was much more than admiration, or even friendship. He kept dreaming about his long fingers and intense sharp eyes on him.

Takeda was only digging himself deeper into this hole, by looking forward to the Sunday mornings talks, these conversations when he had the Coach’s full attention started to become sacred, and wanted. He craved for more, and he was ashamed by it. Reading was no distraction as it only reinforced his floundering emotions. The poetry he knew by heart, the stories he could say in his sleep all described this passionate overwhelming feeling, the want for the comfort of another’s embrace, the touch of lips, and he was finding no solace in it. It only helped to further sink the knife of realization. 

He was very much falling in love with a man.

What a shame that he had to ruin such a wonderful friendship.

There was regret, and denial, but when he was alone at night all he wished for was to turn in his bed and be able to reach out and feel the warm beating heart of Ukai Keishin.

He didn’t sleep the following Saturday, pacing for hours in his house, arguing the facts, judging and listing out the consequences. It had been a lost cause from the beginning. He had never been one to be analytical, had always lived from the heart, and his heart wanted what it wanted... 

So Sunday morning, he didn’t go to the bench, didn’t take a book to read. He didn’t even change his clothes, and that was embarrassing enough.

No, he had instead marched like a man on a mission to Ukai’s store. He had no idea what he would say, or even if he was going to say anything at all. He might've been going crazy, maybe he was sleep-deprived, but he had to do something, or what he was feeling inside would burst out of him, and who knew what that would cause.

He was just in front of the store when he saw the root of his turmoil step out, and yawn wide and loud. The rising sun poured out over the streets and chased away the night’s darkness, and for a moment, everything was soft and warm, and all he could think of was how much Ukai’s dyed locks looked like the sunbeams raising arms to the sky, filling everything with beautiful light and how he deserved words of praise for being who he was. 

“Sensei!!? What!? What are you doing here!?” Ukai voice pierced through whatever poetic daydream he was having, and Takeda was pulled back to earth with a terrible sense of dread. Right. He was here because he was apparently a lovesick fool. He tried to think of words, tried to remember what words were but all he could feel was a warm flush over his skin when he met the widened eyes of the coach.

“Ukai-kun…” he breathed, all in a rush as if he had been holding it all night and was now finally breathing, “Ukai-kun I-”

He looked down and noticed Ukai’s empty hands. “Oh.” he said hollowly, his racing heart stuttering as his mouth continued to move, and he looked up, “You… You’re not going on an errand, today?”

It was a stupid question, totally unrelated to anything going on, but his mind caught the abnormality and he somehow focused on it.

Ukai flushed so red that Takeda was worried he had done something wrong. He quickly looked down at his own body, hoping nothing was out of place, or worse, missing. Everything seemed in order, though wrinkled, he was wearing clothes at least. Maybe he looked as tired as he felt.

“Ukai-kun? Is something wro-” 

Ukai stepped back, and looked around nervously, “I’m- I’m just surprised. I didn’t- I wasn’t expecting- I didn’t want to-”

Takeda had never seen the man stutter before, so he frowned, starting to worry himself. “I’m sorry! I didn’t- I wanted to-” they were speaking over each other, and Takeda shut his mouth and tried to listen.

Maybe Ukai wasn't planning on heading to the park today? Maybe he was off and wanted to have a peaceful Sunday morning for once. Of course, he would be shocked at Takeda appearing out of nowhere.

"-didn't want you to find out this way. I was hoping... I don't know what I was hoping. I'm just an idiot." Ukai was saying, his hands hovering in the air in front, as if warding something off. He sounded frustrated and embarrassed.

Takeda only heard that last part, and he was rightly confused, "What? Find out what?"

Ukai dropped his hands and looked at him, hard. Takeda stilled under the stare, and he couldn't look away. 

“Well, It’s- I didn’t know how to-” Ukai sighed hard, and then he took a couple of steps forward, closer to the still tense Takeda “I lied. About the errands, and the boxes and having to get up early. I heard you telling the brats that you got up on Sundays to read in the park and I-”

Takeda bit his lips as he listened. A lie? So Ukai had been coming around for nothing? “But… but why? Why would you lie about something like that?”

Ukai pulled at the headband in his hair, “I didn’t mean to. I was going to be up straight about it, but when I saw you that morning I couldn’t work up the fuckin’ courage to say anything. And you assumed so I ran with it. I thought I would eventually tell you but… “

Takeda was frowning, so confused. “but- but why, Ukai-kun? Why would you want to meet with me so early and… “

Ukai stiffened, and his shoulders dropped, hands digging into his pockets, “I didn’t know how to ask you if we could hang out. I don’t know how to- I didn’t know how to ask you-” he cut himself off by pulling a hand through his hair, “Look, Im sorry for lying and everything. I wanted to hang out with you outside of the practices, and well, this seemed okay.”

Takeda stared at him, “So, you’ve been coming around Sunday mornings just to hang out?”

Ukai chuckled, but he didn’t sound amused, “Pretty lame, huh?”

Takeda couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes. Yes, very lame, Ukai-kun.” He said, and he watched as dark eyes focused on him, “But, I also… well, I came today to also… hang out with you. I didn’t expect to…” He tried not to blush but it was entirely impossible with how he felt under those sharp eyes, “I really, truly enjoy your company.”

And he did, his heart was pounding in his chest and his whole body felt warm and light. Ukai was... 

Ukai looked away, still frowning but the blush over his cheeks diminished any sort of intimidation from the expression, “Well, good. I do too. Obviously.”

Takeda hummed, taking a step closer, “So instead of having you wake so early, we can just…”

he paused, unsure if he should go on. Hanging out was fine, was great, but maybe that’s all that Ukai wanted. Then again…

Ukai came in closer, and Takeda, startled, looked up at him. his eyes were dark in the early morning sun, and he felt them scan over his face in a way that was almost seeking.

“Just what?” Ukai said, his mouth quirking into a half-grin, and Takeda felt his eyes flutter under the way his spine tingled at the low tones.

“Um… just ask me. Or I’ll ask you. Either way is fine.” Takeda said, his voice dropping into an almost whispery manner.

Ukai’s smile fell, eye averting, and for a moment Takeda couldn’t understand why, until Ukai moved to the store's doors, and locked them.

“Okay, then,” he said, and he wasn’t looking at the teachers as he said it; instead digging into his pockets and pulling out a cigarette. “Sensei, Wanna go have breakfast? Now? My treat...”

Takeda blushed, he couldn’t help it, and then nodded, but since Ukai was still avoiding him, he voiced his agreement out loud.

“I would love that, Ukai-kun.”

Ukai looked so boyishly pleased that Takeda wanted to laugh, but it got caught up around his beating heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter: [DIPUC](https://twitter.com/DlPUC?s=20/)


End file.
